Search for a command to run...
Search for a command to run...
A practical Mandarin reference you can revisit anytime
From zero to millions
Master the foundation of Chinese numbers
líng
zero
yī
one
èr
two
sān
three
sì
four
wǔ
five
liù
six
qī
seven
bā
eight
jiǔ
nine
shí
ten
Just combine: 十 + digit or digit + 十 + digit
shíyī
eleven
10 + 1èrshí
twenty
2 × 10èrshíwǔ
twenty-five
2 × 10 + 5jiǔshíjiǔ
ninety-nine
9 × 10 + 9Wǒ jīnnián èrshíwǔ suì.
I'm 25 years old this year.
bǎi
hundred
qiān
thousand
yībǎi
100
sānbǎi wǔshí
350
yīqiān
1000
💡 Unlike English, Chinese always needs 一 before 百 and 千.
Chinese counts in 万 (10,000) not thousands!
wàn
ten thousand
shíwàn
100,000 (10 万)
bǎiwàn
1,000,000 (100 万)
yì
100,000,000 (hundred million)
First, second, third... just add 第 before the number
dì yī
first
dì èr
second
dì sān
third
dì jǐ
which number?
Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái Zhōngguó.
This is my first time in China.
Nǐ zhù zài dì jǐ céng?
Which floor do you live on?
Digits read one by one, 幺 replaces 一
yāo
one (in phone/room numbers)
Used instead of 一 to avoid confusion with 七yāo sān bā - yāo èr sān sì - wǔ liù qī bā
Phone number format
Nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshǎo?
What's your phone number?
💡 Phone numbers are read digit by digit. Use 幺 (yāo) for 1 to distinguish from 七 (qī).
Key Insight
Chinese numbers are logical! Once you know 0-10, you can build any number. No "eleven, twelve, thirteen" irregularities like English.
一个、两个、几个
The essential 个 classifier and "how many"
Use 两 (liǎng) before classifiers, not 二
yí gè
one (thing)
liǎng gè
two (things)
NOT 二个!sān gè
three (things)
Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè píngguǒ.
I have two apples.
Use for small quantities (usually under 10)
jǐ gè
how many?
jǐ diǎn
what time?
jǐ suì
how old?
Nǐ yào jǐ gè?
How many do you want?
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it now?
Remember
个 (gè) is the "universal" classifier. When in doubt, use 个!
个、本、只、张、杯
The most useful measure words for everyday objects
gè
general (people, things)
běn
books, magazines
zhī
animals (small)
zhāng
flat things (paper, tickets, tables)
bēi
cups, glasses of
Practical Tip
Focus on these 5 classifiers first. Native speakers use 个 for things they forget the classifier for too!
一个人、两位、我们三个
Counting and referring to people
yí gè rén
one person
liǎng gè rén
two people
wǒmen sān gè
the three of us
Use 位 for respectful/formal contexts
yí wèi lǎoshī
one teacher (polite)
liǎng wèi kèrén
two guests (polite)
jǐ wèi?
How many people? (restaurant)
Qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?
How many in your party? (restaurant)
Different ways to ask age based on context
jǐ suì
how old? (children)
For kids under ~10duō dà
how old? (casual)
duōshǎo suì
how old? (formal)
jīnnián duō dà
how old this year?
èrshí duō suì
in their twenties
sānshí chūtóu
early thirties
Nǐ jīnnián duō dà?
How old are you this year?
Wǒ èrshíwǔ suì.
I'm 25 years old.
欢迎光临！请问几位？
Huānyíng guānglín! Qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?
Welcome! How many in your party?
三位，谢谢。
Sān wèi, xièxie.
Three, thank you.
好的，请跟我来。
Hǎo de, qǐng gēn wǒ lái.
OK, please follow me.
好的。
Hǎo de.
OK.
你今年多大？
Nǐ jīnnián duō dà?
How old are you this year?
我二十五岁。你呢？
Wǒ èrshíwǔ suì. Nǐ ne?
I'm 25. And you?
我也差不多，二十六。
Wǒ yě chàbuduō, èrshíliù.
I'm about the same, 26.
那我们是同龄人！
Nà wǒmen shì tónglíngrén!
Then we're the same age!
几点、半、刻
Hours, minutes, and asking the time
diǎn
o'clock
bàn
half past
kè
quarter (15 min)
fēn
minute
chà
lacking/to
sān diǎn
3:00
sān diǎn bàn
3:30
sān diǎn yí kè
3:15
sān diǎn sān kè
3:45
chà wǔ fēn sān diǎn
2:55 (5 to 3)
sān diǎn èrshíwǔ fēn
3:25
zǎoshang
morning (early)
shàngwǔ
morning (before noon)
zhōngwǔ
noon
xiàwǔ
afternoon
wǎnshang
evening
zǎoshang bā diǎn
8:00 AM
xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn
3:30 PM
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it?
Jǐ diǎn le?
What time is it? (casual)
Qǐngwèn xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
Excuse me, what time is it?
Nǐ jǐ diǎn xiàbān?
What time do you get off work?
请问现在几点？
Qǐngwèn xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
Excuse me, what time is it?
两点半。
Liǎng diǎn bàn.
Two thirty.
谢谢！
Xièxie!
Thank you!
不客气。
Bú kèqi.
You're welcome.
Pattern
Time follows: [time of day] + [hour]点 + [minutes]. Example: 下午三点半 = afternoon 3:30 = 3:30 PM
一次、每天、经常
Expressing "times", "every", and frequency
yí cì
once / one time
liǎng cì
twice / two times
hěn duō cì
many times
dì yī cì
the first time
Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái Zhōngguó.
This is my first time coming to China.
měi tiān
every day
měi zhōu
every week
měi gè yuè
every month
měi nián
every year
zǒngshì
always
jīngcháng
often
yǒushíhou
sometimes
hěn shǎo
rarely
cóng bù
never
块、毛、元
Talking about prices in Chinese
Spoken vs formal forms
kuài
yuan (spoken)
Formal: 元 (yuán)máo
0.1 yuan (spoken)
Formal: 角 (jiǎo)fēn
0.01 yuan (cent)
wǔ kuài
5 yuan
shí kuài wǔ
10.50 yuan
èrshísān kuài bā
23.80 yuan
Zhège duōshǎo qián?
How much is this?
Shíwǔ kuài.
15 yuan.
老板，苹果多少钱一斤？
Lǎobǎn, píngguǒ duōshǎo qián yī jīn?
Boss, how much for 500g of apples?
五块五。
Wǔ kuài wǔ.
5.50 yuan.
太贵了！五块行吗？
Tài guì le! Wǔ kuài xíng ma?
Too expensive! Is 5 yuan okay?
好吧，五块。
Hǎo ba, wǔ kuài.
Okay, 5 yuan.
你好，我要一张到北京的票。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ yào yì zhāng dào Běijīng de piào.
Hello, I want a ticket to Beijing.
什么时候的？
Shénme shíhou de?
For when?
明天上午的。
Míngtiān shàngwǔ de.
Tomorrow morning's.
好的，二等座两百三十块。
Hǎo de, èr děng zuò liǎng bǎi sānshí kuài.
OK, second class is 230 yuan.
好，我要一张。
Hǎo, wǒ yào yì zhāng.
OK, I want one.
Shortcut
When the last unit is obvious, Chinese often drops it: 十块五 = 十块五毛 (10.50)
年月日、星期
Years, months, days, and days of the week
Chinese uses: 年 (year) → 月 (month) → 日 (day)
nián
year
yuè
month
rì / hào
day (formal/spoken)
èr líng èr sì nián sān yuè shíwǔ rì
March 15, 2024
Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào?
What's today's date?
yīyuè
January
èryuè
February
sānyuè
March
shí'èryuè
December
星期 + number (Sunday = 天 or 日)
xīngqīyī
Monday
xīngqī'èr
Tuesday
xīngqīsān
Wednesday
xīngqīsì
Thursday
xīngqīwǔ
Friday
xīngqīliù
Saturday
xīngqītiān/rì
Sunday
jīntiān
today
míngtiān
tomorrow
zuótiān
yesterday
hòutiān
day after tomorrow
qiántiān
day before yesterday
你什么时候有空？
Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu kòng?
When are you free?
星期三下午怎么样？
Xīngqīsān xiàwǔ zěnmeyàng?
How about Wednesday afternoon?
几点？
Jǐ diǎn?
What time?
三点可以吗？
Sān diǎn kěyǐ ma?
Is 3 o'clock OK?
好的，星期三下午三点见！
Hǎo de, xīngqīsān xiàwǔ sān diǎn jiàn!
OK, see you Wednesday at 3 PM!
Pattern Recognition
Months are just numbers! No "January, February" to memorize. 一月 = month one = January.
多、左右、几
Expressing "about", "more than", "around"
èrshí duō
twenty-something / 20+
sānshí duō suì
in their thirties
yí gè duō xiǎoshí
over an hour
shí diǎn zuǒyòu
around 10 o'clock
wǔshí kuài zuǒyòu
around 50 yuan
Besides questions, 几 means "several" (usually 3-9)
jǐ gè
several / a few
jǐ tiān
a few days
shíjǐ
teens / 10-something
Reassurance for learners
Things that seem hard but aren't essential yet
You can learn these gradually through exposure
yī → yí, yì
The tone of 一 changes based on context - people will understand you either way!
gè is enough
Start with 个. Learn others gradually. Native speakers use 个 as default too!
yì (亿)
You rarely need numbers above 10,000 in daily life.
You're Doing Great!
Chinese numbers are actually one of the most logical systems in the language. Master 0-10, and you can build everything else. No irregular forms like "eleven" or "twenty" - just pure logic!
Want more practice with real sentences? Explore vocabulary →